Sept. 7, 2002

Here is where we are again, A webpage trying to keep people up to date.

The long and short of it though is that I am trying to learn a new editor for this page.

For those that don't know, I had to wipe my hardrive about two months ago. I thought I had a back up copy of Frontpage 2000, but I didn't. It turns out that without Frontpage, I'm having a much harder time of building these things.

I also lost the ability to pull the old pages off the site in Geocities. I didn't know it was coming so I got bumped.

Ergo, the new design. I hope that everyone is doing ok out there. I hope that someone will actually come to this site.

It won't be as exciting as the last one, but I will try to keep some good links and the like on here.

I'll be archiving some of this like I did the other pages, but for the most part what you see is what you'll get.

If you are looking for our new address and phone number just drop an e-mail and I'll send it over to you.

Thanks,

Matt

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Sept. 23, 2002

Well, the overwhelming concensus is that this new page is better than the old one. The whole theme seems to be a little calmer and most folks have enjoyed that.

I must say that for the number of people I talked to in the past few weeks I still haven't heard from many.

I talked (online) with a couple kids that I haven't talked to for a while and I called some folks, but overall I'm not all that convinced that this page is doing much.

There is some new material on the picture page. We got some pics from Emily Hommel. They're her sneiors so if you haven't seen them check it out!

Let's see, here's the good news. Amy and I have an interview on Sunday for a full time youth ministry position. That's good cause I need to not be doing what I'm doing right now. I need something to do in the daytime.

The other news is that I'm doing all right in my classes (I think)! I had a really bad run of it last semester and now I'm trying to pick up the pieces and get it together so that I can push forward in my schooling. It seems like I'm talking about millions of years sometimes.

Amy's excited about the possiblity of me getting the new job too. She doesn't like to be the "main" bread winner of the family. She's working hard at For-All-Bible in the Mall here at Joplin, and she's become one of their premier employees. I think, though, she might be ready to try teaching again.

We haven't done much travelling lately. Mostly due to the fact that we're trying to keep a house running on a tiny budget, but we want to start going again. It's one of the things that we liked about living in Ft. Scott.

One of these days, we'd like to start in Ft. Smith and run through all the places we used to live. That would be Belleville, Springfield(ish) and Jackson. We have people in all those spots that we want to see and if information is true would like to see us too, but time and money all have to come together at the right time. Isn't that the story of so many things?

The church Amy and I attend had a shake up this past Sunday. Their minister tried to resign. The Elders there talked him into a sabbatical. I wonder sometimes how communicative we are in the church. Sometimes it seems like something that is screamingly important or depressing or distressing to us is completely overlooked until we leave or resign. We're supposed to be a family, so why don't we know more about one another?

Just something I was thinking about.

Anyway that's all the news that I've got of interest from Amy and I,

Matt

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October 2, 2002

O.K., Amy and I interviewed for a position last Sunday. Pray for us!!

We are really looking forward to doing something in a church somewhere. We long to be in a place where we can move forward and help some other folks.

ON here right now I'd just like to thank all the people that have been references and have supported us through prayer and calls.

We are also trying to be prepared to move to whereever we need to be. We've had tons of offers from out of the area, but it is really important to us that I finish my degree (If anyone is intrested in that little project, look here.)

So if anyone out there has the time, keep praying for us and maybe let us know how you're doing.

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October 16, 2002

Well, here's the new haps, we didn't get the job in Columbus, KS that we were after, but there are still some other places that we might have an opportunity to serve at.

Most notably, the new things that we are doing is the Jr. Revival at the church that turned us down. They were so impressed with the ideas and things that Amy and I did that they asked if we would come do the revival at their church for the kids. They don't think the guy they've got coming for the youth ministry position wil be there yet, so they asked if we would do it. Haven't had anything that odd happen in a while, but it's aomething that we can do pretty easily.

If the person that sent us the gift from Springfield reads this we just want to say thanks. It was a great help to us this week. We don't know who it was, but I just want to throw that thanks out there.

School's headed toward mid-term so its been kind of hectic around the house, plus I started working at CIY this past Monday. It's just a short term gig. They're doing a phon-a-thon. They're trying to get $40,000 in "gift income" to begin new programs internationally and Domestically. It's amazing the number of people that think they can't give to more than one effort. And the number of stories that you hear while you're doing this sort of thing.

If anyone is interested I'll put more info at this page and a link you can follow to contact people that can tell you more.

Aim and I went to James and Nathan's birthday party this past week. Hopefully I'll get some pics either digitally or MY MOM MIGHT MAIL ME SOME (hint hint) so I can put them up and ya'll can see the boys if you haven't seen them in a while.

Well, till the next time I sit down to write...

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April 15, 2003

   It's TAX DAY!!!!

   I'm so glad we have a CPA related to the church.  I hate doing my own taxes.  I'd so much rather just hand them off to someone and say, "Ummmm, here ya go.  Do good." 

   Yes, I am aware that "do good" is horrible English, but I live in OK now so it becomes more and more acceptable.  (kidding kidding).

   We've started a few Sunday School classes here and it has for the most part doubled SS attendance.   People were just looking for something more related to them.  It was no big deal.

   The big deal is the stuff God's been doing around here.  Comments asking about what's happening down there, or "Heard you've got something special happening in that church over there" seem to plague me, but that just means that God's opening eyes to see the Love.

   I mean we try so hard to make it hard.  Theology and fancy speaking while there are people that are turned off just because there wasn't anyone their age in the church, or they don't like some small piece of the service.  Isn't that a stupid reason to lose someone for Christ?

   I've decided it is, so I'm going out of my way to make sure that there is at least some sort of change for those that haven't decided to come lately.  It's really been odd. 

   All I have to do is sit around and talk to them and they tell me what they don't like.  Then I set up a service that has their problem taken out of it.

   My biggest asset here though has been a love that God put in me for these people.  He has strengthen a Love for the lost, with a desire to guide the wandering.  Pretty spiffy trick if it were anyone but God.

   Well, that's a heaping helping of our Christianity for the day.

Have an undignified day,

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